Jumanji 3 Has Cast Its First New Actors

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the sequel/loose reboot to the original Jumanji, ended up being one of the biggest hits of 2017, earning a lot of positive reviews and collecting over $962 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing movie of that year. With a performance like that, it's no wonder that Sony ordered a sequel, and along with Welcome to the Jungle's core quartet returning, it's been revealed that Jumanji 3 has added Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina and Danny DeVito as the first of its new cast members.

Awkwafina was the first to be reported to be involved with Jumanji 3, although initially it was said she was in talks to play a "key" and "significant" character. But today, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a.k.a. Dr. Smolder Bravestone, confirmed on Instagram that she will indeed appear in Jumanji 3, taking the opportunity to both welcome her to the cast and give some wise(?) advice:

She's ready to play in the world of JUMANJI. Want to welcome @awkwafina to our cast. She lit it up in the brilliant film, "CRAZY RICH ASIANS" and gonna be a lot of fun workin' with her. Here we go and remember if @kevinhart4real talks to you too much on set then just kick him in the balls. #jumanji

And the Dwayne Johnson/Kevin Hart back-and-forth ribbing continues! 2018 was a big year for Awkwafina's acting career (she's already an accomplished rapper), as she starred in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians in the summer, and then hosted Saturday Night Live in the fall. Awkwafina's other on-screen credits include Bad Neighbors 2 and Future Man, and in addition to Jumanji 3, she's also starring in The Farewell and Paradise Hills, both of which premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month.

Now today brings word from Variety that Danny DeVito, who needs no introduction, will also be joining Awkwafina on Jumanji 3, though no details were provided about his character either. Along with still starring as Frank Reynolds on the long-running comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, DeVito's recently lent his voice to animated movies Animal Crackers (which still hasn't been released domestically) and Smallfoot, and he'll also appear in the live action Dumbo remake this March.

With Danny DeVito and Awkwafina on board for Jumanji 3, that brings the total number of actors so far to six, as Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black are all back, though it remains to be seen if they'll reprise their roles from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle or be playing brand-new characters. Jake Kasdan is also resuming his directing duties, and he co-penned the script with returning writers Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinker.

Jumanji 3 will be released in theaters on December 13, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress. Don't forget to also check out our 2019 release schedule to find out what other movies are opening this year.